Admission-valve for steam-engines.



W. R. HUPP.

ADMISSION VALVE FOR STEAM ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 24.1916.

Patented Apr. 24, 191?.

3 SHEETSSHEET l.

awuevvlioz abtovnu W. R. HUPP.

ADMISSION VALVE FOR STEAM ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 2'4, I916.

Patented Apr. 24,1917.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2- 8mm E E. Hugo 9 Lama W. R. HUPP.

ADMISSION VALVE FOR STEAM ENGINES.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE24. I916.

L fifiwo Patented; Apr. 24, 1917,

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

WILLIAM R. HUPP, OF BBYSON CITY, NORTH CAROLINA.

ADMISSION-VALVE FOR STEAM-ENGINES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

I Patented Apr. 2d, 1917.

Application filed June 24, 1916. Serial No. 105,610.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM R. Hnrr, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bryson City, in the county of Swain and State of North Carolina, have invented new and useful Improvements in Admission- Valves for Steam-Engines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to admission valves for steam and other fluid pressure engmes' and particularly for steam engines of the compound high and low pressure cylinder type, and its primary object is to provide a valve mechanism which is simple and inexpensive of construction, durable, reliable and efficient in operation and not liable to get out of order, and which is automatically operated by steam pressure, thus avoiding the use of eccentrics and other valve operating parts liable to get out of order and requiring in their operation the use of a more or less material portionof the work ing force of the engine. I

A further object of the invention is to provide a valve mechanism of the character described, including a simple form of hollow sliding valve, which is reversible to supply steam for driving the engine in either direction at will.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists ofthe features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts hereinafter fully described and claimed, reference being had to the acbom panying drawings in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of an engine of thecompound type provided with my improved valve mechanism.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the cylinders and valve mechanism thereof.

Figs. 3 and 4 are "vertical longitudinal sections showing the valve in its opposite working positions.

Referring now 'more particularly to the drawings, 1 designates the engine base upon which is mounted the high and low pressure cylinders 2 and 3, the engine shaft 4,-

the cross head guides 5 and the other working parts of the engine, as hereinafter fully described. The cylinders 2 and 3 are shown as. supported in horizontal alinement, and

mounted upon said cylinders-is the admission valve casing 6 and steam chest 7. A steam supply pipe 8, provided with a manually operable controlling and cut-off valve 9, communicates with the steam chest 7 and a final exhaust pipe 10, communicates with the final exhaust port of the valve casing 6. A suitable type of valve mechanism, including a governor 12, is also provided for automatically governing .the supply of steam to the chest 7 to maintain a uniform speed of'the'engine, and this governor is driven by a belt or other driving connection 13 from the engine shaft 4,

which is .provided as usual with one or more of the valve casing whereby the admission valve may be shifted for reverse actions,- as hereinafter fully set forth. On the bar 16 is a pin or stud 18 slidably and pivotally engaging a slot 19 in a reverse lever 20 pivotally mounted upon one side-of the engine, said lever having a spring-actuated dog 21 for engagement with a toothed or notched rack orsector 22 for looking it in adjusted position, said dog being operatively connected with an actuating handle 23.

The high pressure steam cylinder 2 comprises a cylindrical body portion 24 and end heads 25, and 26 connected thereto by headed bolts 27 and countersunk machine screws 28, respectively, while the low pressure steam cylinder 3 comprises a cylindrical body portion 29. provided with end heads 30 and 31 secured thereto by longitudinally extending screws or rods 32 passing through the head 31 and cylinder body 29 and having threaded ends engaging threaded sockets in the head 26. By this construction the cylinder 3 is detachably connected with the cylinder 2 and provision made for readily and conveniently disconnecting the cylinders and their heads for repairs, renewal of parts andother purposes. The meeting faces of the heads 26 and 30. are formed with recesses forming a stufiing chamber 33 in which are fitted tapered packing rings 34 engaging tapered walls of the recesses which intersect piston rod openings 35 passing through said heads, whereby a fluid-tight connection between the abutting heads of the two cylinders is produced.

Extending through the openings 35 in the heads 26 and and through an opening 36 and stuffing box 37 provided in and upon the head 25 is a piston rod 38 exteriorly connected with a cross head 39 reciprocable in the. guides 5 and coupled by a connecting rod 40 to the crank element (not shown) of the shaft 4, whereby said shaft is driven. Mounted upon this piston rod within the cylinder 2 is a pair of spaced pistons 41 and 42, and mounted upon the rod within the cylinder 3 is a piston 43, all of said pistons being coupled to move in unison with the rod in the operation of the engine. It will, of course, 'be understood that inpractice suitable packing rings or other packing means will be provided to maintain a fiuidtight connection between the pistons and their respective cylinders. The cylinder-2 is provided with a pair of end flaring combined admission and exhaust ports 44 and 44, a pair of central ports 45 and 45 and an exhaust port 46, while the cylinder 3 is provided with a pair of end combined inlet and exhaust ports 47 and 47 the port 46 of the cylinder 2 being connected with the exhaust pipe 10 by a pipe 49, through which the steam employed in operating the valve piston is allowed to pass to 'sa1d plpe 10. The pistons 41 and 42'are so spaced wlth relation to each other that when one or the other of said pistons is at the limit of its movement the other piston will be disposed centrally of the cylinder between the ports 45 and 45 and blanking enclosing the port 46. The valve casing is, provided with primary feed ports 52 and 52' communicating with the upper portion of a longitudinally extending passage 53, with which the port 51 communicates. Said casing is also provided below the passage with setsof secondary feed ports 54 and 54 and primary exhaust ports 55 and 55 arranged for respective coiiperation with the ports 44 and 44 of the high pressure cylinder 2. Said casing is further provided with combined inlet and exhaust ports 56 and 56' connect-- ing the passage 53 with-the ports 47 and .47 of the low pressure cylinder 3, and formed in the casing is a chamber 57 communicating with the ports 45 and 45' and in which operates a piston 58 connected with and adapted to automatically impart motion to the combined admission and exhaust valve 59 governing the supply of steam to and from both cylinders.

The valve 59 comprises a tube or cylinder mafford communication between the valve structure is obtained. The valve is provided with externalannular grooves 62-, 63, 64 and and with transverse orts 66 and 67 the ports 67 being arranged or communication with the groove 65 at all times. The groove 62 is provided for cofiperation with the ports 52, 54 and 44, the groove 63 with the ports 52 and 54', thegroove 64 with the ports 55, 56 and 51, and the groove 65 with theports 51', 56 and 67 while the ports 66 and 67 are designed to respectively port 55 and th6';l[lt81'l01 of the hollow valve and the port 56'-,and port 51. The surfaces of the valve between the ports are designed to Assumingthe parts to be in the position shown in Fig. 3, in which the pistons of the cylinders are at the limits of their travel toward the righthand ends of the cylinders, it will be seen that the valve is also at the limit of its righthand movement. In this position of the parts the primary feed port 52 is connected by the groove 62 with the secondary feed port 54 and port 44 for the supply of steam to the right hand end of the cylinder 2, while the groove 64 connects the ports 44 and 55 for the flow of steam from the left hand end of the cylinder 2 to the right hand end of the cylinder 3, which cylinder is in communication through the ports 47', 56, groove 65 and port 51 with the final exhaust pipe. Hence live steam will be supplied to the right hand end of the live steam cylinder 2 for action on the piston 41 to move said piston to the left, while at the same time the low pressure steam or exhaust steam from the left hand end of said cylinder 2 will How to the right hand end of the low pressure cylinder 3 for action on the piston 43, whereby a compound high and low pressure action is secured. As the pistons move to the left any steam bemea re tween the piston 43 and the head 31 of the cylinder 3 will pass out to the exhaust pipe 10. As soon as the piston 41 reaches the limit of its travel and uncovers the port 45, as shown in Fig. 4, a reverse action takes place, the steam from the right hand end of cylinder 2 passing through the port 45 into the chamber 57 and shifting the piston 58 and the valve to its left hand position shown in Fig. 4. In thisposition of the parts it will beseen that the primary feed port 52 is connected through the groove 63 and ports 54 and 44 with the left hand end of the live steam or high pressure cylinder 2, the

right hand end of which cylinder is connected through the ports 44, 55 and 66 with the interior of; the valve, which is in communication through the ports 67, 56' and 47 with the left hand end of the low or exhaust pressure cylinder 3, the right hand end of which communicates with the final exhaust port 51 through the ports 47 and 56 and the groove 64. Hence it will be apparent-that steam will be supplied to the cylinder 2 for action upon the piston 42 to move said piston to the right, and for the flow of the steam previously taken into the right hand end of said cylinder through the valve to the left hand end of the cylinder 3 to move the piston 43 to the right, whereby a compound pressure action of the steam in such movement or stroke of the engine pistons is obtained. In the movement of the piston 43 to the right the steam previously taken into the right hand end of the cylinder 3 and the pressure of which is spent is exhausted through the ports 47 and 56 and the groove 64 and port 51 .into the final exhaust pipe 10. When the piston 42 reaches the limit of its movement to the right andis returned to the position shown in Fig, 3 it will be seen that it will uncover the port 45, thus admitting steam from behind said piston to the chamber 57 at the left hand side of the valve piston 58 whereby said piston and the valve will be shifted to the right and again restored to the positions shown in Fig. 3 for a repetition of the operation previously described. It will thus be evident that live steam will be alternately taken into opposite ends of the cylinder 2 for action on the pistons 41 and 42 and exhausted into the opposite ends of the cylinder 3 for action on opposite sides of the piston 43, and that the exhaust steam will finally discharge from the cylinder 3 through the valve to the final exhaust pipe. In the operations above described it will be understood that all ports will be closed except those described as being opened for the actions set forth. The function of the port 46 is simply to allow the exhaust steam from the chamber 57 which passes into the space between the pistons 41 and 42 to exhaust through the pipe 49.

From the foregoing description, takenin connection with the accompanying drawings, the construction and mode of operaextended recitation, it being only necessary to set forth that by the construction described the valve is operated directly by steam pressure, requiring the use of but a small amount of steam to automatically shift it to its working positions, and that as a result the direct operation of the valve itself by a working action of the engine is entirely avoided and eliminated, thus dispensing with the use of eccentrics and other valve operating parts which are liable to get out of order and which consume a material part of the working energy of the engine. Hence an engine is provided which utilizes all of the direct energy of the steam for transmitting working power and which entirely obviates the necessity of providing valve operating means actuated from the engine shaft, with a result in saving in cost of construction and maintenance in addition to the other advantages stated.

I claim 1. In a fluid pressure engine, the combination of high and low pressure cylinders having inlet and exhaust ports, a single piston operating in the low pressure cylinder, a pair of pistons operating in the high pressure cylinder, said pistons being connected for movement in unison, a valve movable to control communication between the sources of steam supply and the high pressure cylinder, .the exhaust of steam from the high pressure cylinder to the low pressure cylinder and the final exhaust of steam from said low pressure cylinder, and fluid pressure means controlled by one of the pistons in the high pressure cylinder for actuating said valve.

2. In a fluid pressure engine, the combination of high and low pressure cylinders having inlet and exhaust ports, a piston operating in the low pressure cylinder, a pair of pistons operating in the high pressure cylinder, said pistons being connected for movement in-unison, a sliding hollow valve having a longitudinal passage, ports communicating with said passage and external annular passages, for controlling communication between the source of steam supply and said cylinders and the flow of steam from one cylinder to the other for a compound action, and fluid pressure piston controlled means for actuating said valves in the movements of said pistons.

3. In a fluid pressure engine, the combination of high and low pressure cylinders having inlet and exhaust ports, pistons operating'insaid cylinders, a sliding valve comprising a hollow body forming a longitudinal passage and having ports communicating with said passage and external annular pas- 5 sages for controlling communication between the source of steam supply and the high pressure cylinder, the exhaust of steam from said cylinder to the low pressure cylinder and the final exhaust of steam from the low pressure cylinder for a'compound ac- 10 tion, and piston controlled fluid pressure means for actuating said valve.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

WILLIAM R. HUPP. 

